Still something of an anomaly on network television, Hannibal ran for three unique seasons on NBC, and managed to deliver gore and surrealism to viewers on a weekly basis. The show’s creator, Bryan Fuller, has recently suggested that the idea of a fourth outing for the series remains on the table, in part due to the impact that the existing episodes have had on streaming services. And now, he’s gone into detail about what the new plotlines could focus on.
More specifically, Fuller has explained how he wants to go deeper into Will Graham’s brain and explore his relationship with Hannibal Lecter and other characters. Speaking to Rolling Stone, he had this to say about how his idea could work:
“It was not so much about a rebranding as [being] able to go back to earlier dynamics through a brand new prism, which was Hannibal and Will getting to know each other from a different state of mind. I’d want to play point-of-view in a dramatic way. I think I’ve said that season four is Inception meets Angel Heart. And that means that there’s going to be considerable mind-palacing and obfuscating of reality, or at least the perception of reality. And the thing that I’m most excited about is, because there’s going to be such a mental landscape to explore, that means actors who play characters who have previously died can manifest in the mess of Will Graham’s brain.”
The prospect of Fuller and co. being able to delve into Graham’s psyche, and further stretch the aesthetic of the production, is certainly an intriguing one. Even five years after its ending, Hannibal remains one of the most imaginative examples of character point of view and visual style in the medium. However, fans will presumably also want Fuller to resolve the cliffhanger from the end of season 3, and possibly even adapt parts of The Silence of the Lambs going forward.
Unfortunately, the main obstacle to adding Clarice Starling to the Hannibal family is a divided rights situation, which also means that we’re more likely to see a separate spinoff featuring the heroine before getting further instalments of the show. Still, there’s been enough support for Hannibal, especially since it became available on Netflix, to justify a new run of some kind, with or without the Lambs material. Those wanting more from Lecter and Graham’s world are likely cautious, though, given that talk about a revival has been rumbling on since the original cancellation of the series.
For now, anyone who’s not had the chance to catch up on Hannibal is highly recommended to do so on their streamer of choice, with the program readily available in different places. Here’s hoping, though, that Fuller is finally given the opportunity to expand on the story that was abruptly ended back in 2015.
